Gang sewing apparatus



July 7, 1931.

J. GAIL GANG SEWING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug- 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v g Y xmlernlaoimimlcmnpl B ImICIDIC IDImImImI x x L M m Tim m July 7,1931. J,F GA,L 1,813,489

GANG SEWING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug. 12 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet,

Patented July 7, 1931 l v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- JOHN F. Gain on EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To SIMMONS COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE GANG SEWING APPARATUS Applieation filed August 12, 1925, Serial No. 49,684. Renewed June 19, 1929.

My invention relates to improvements in to 'form supports or run-ways for a series gang sewing apparatus, and is of especial of work-supporting and propelling chains value in connection with the sewing of the 19. The upper stretch of each of said chains transversely extending pocket defining stitch slides in one of the said table-grooves and the '15 lines of strips of fabric 'used in the conlower stretch of the said chain extends under struction of. cushions. 91f mattresses, ofthe thegirder member-'16? well-known Marshall type. l

The work receiving ends of said chains 1 The principal object of the invention is 'l9-are trained around spro'cket-wheels 20 to produce an improved, simple, economic, which are mounted one. common shaft 21 1 efiicient and rugged apparatus for the pursupported between floor standards or brac kpose described. ets 22 and 23. The delivery ends of said In the drawings accompanying this apchains'are trained around similar sprocket plication: and illustrating a specific appli- .wheels, 24, all of which are keyed to a comcation of my invention, i mon shaft 25, supportedto rotate in the i 1 Fig. 1 is an end view, partly in' section bearings of spaced brackets or floor stand- 1 of a gang sewing machine embodying my ards 26 and 27. Said chains thus may all invention. be driven by rotating shaft 25. r v Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 The needlebarxand other mechanisms in of Fig. 1... the upper cross-frame or girder 13 are actu- 20. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine and ated by a series of beveled gears 28 and 29 70 I Fig. 4'is a section taken on the line 44 respectively mounted on the individual cross of Fig. 2, shafts 30 of each stitching-head, and the Referring to the drawingsit will be seen horizontal or transversely extending main that the machine in its mainelements comshaft 31 which is common to all of the prises a row of stitching-heads extending stitching-heads. The operating parts of the 75 across a series of supporters or carriers by feed and stitching mechanisms below the which the work is conducted through the work are all driven by a single horizontal field of the stitching-heads. In view of the transversely extending shaft 32. The two fact that stitching-heads of the gang type shafts 31 and '32 are ca'used'to rotate in V v are not new in the art, I have not illustrated unison with each other, by means of spur in the drawings, nor shall I describe all. gears 33 and 34 keyed respectively to the of the details thereof. It will be enough shafts 31 .and 32, and each having an equal to indicate the needlebar 10, the presser 11 number of teeth therein. The shaft- 31 is and the lower feed-plate 12 of each of the continuously driven by apulley 35 keyed 35 heads, without describing their associated to said shaft and operated by a constantly instrumentalities by which the work is fed running belt 36. As seen best from inspecthrough the machine and stitched. e tion of Flgs. 1 and 3, there is keyed to the The stitching-heads as to their upper outwardly projecting end of the main bar mechanisms, are mounted in a horizontally shaft 31 a worm 37 which meshes with a extending hollow girder-like casting 13 worm gear 38, keyed to a side horizontal which at its ends is supported by suitable shaft 39, one end of said shaft being supend frames 14 and 15. The lower parts of ported in suitable bearings formedrasparts the feed and stitching"mechanisms are of the gear housing 40. .The opposite end. mounted in asimilarly' extending lower east of said shaft39 is supported to rotate in '45 ing 16, said casting being provided." with bearings formed in a worm-gear housing out in, between the stitc flange-like side extensions 17 and 18 which, 41 formed on the side of the'standard 27..-

, together with the upper portion of the cast- The worm 42 which is keyed to the shaft I ing 16 constitute a work-table. The said. 39, meshes with a second worm-gear 43 conwork-table is as to its up er surface, grooved tained in said worm-gear housing 41 and hing-heads in order keyed-to the end of the shaft 25, so that when the main shaft 31 of the stitching mechanism is continuously operated, the chains 19 will also move continuously through the field of the stitching mecha-' nisms, but at a greatly reduced speed.

. It will be understood that there are sufficient stitching-heads and the main side frames are spaced widely enough apart to necessary to employ fifteen stitching-headsspaced apart a distance equal to thewidth of the pocket before the springs are inserted.

Although in some embodiments of the invention the strips might be fed to the gang 'of stitching-heads by hand, I find it desirable to employ some positive or more reliable method of presenting the work to the stitching-heads, the chains above described constituting oiieform of suchapropelling mechanism- The" advantages of a positive propelling mechanism are particularly apor sever said lines of stitchin parent when-dealing with a strip having a large number of pockets to be sewn therein and where the stitching-heads are operated continuously and at high speed for economical production. The use of the positivepropulsion mechanism has another advantage.- For instance, in cases where it is desired to avoid the expense and labor of clipping the lines of stitching which connect successive strips, it is advantageous to clip automatically as the completed strips are elivered from the stitchers. Such automatic severing is made much easier by synchronizing the severingmechanism with the feeding mechanism, and to this end the chains are driven in unison with the stitchingeheads as heretofore described.

I In order to present the ed e of the strip properly to the feeding mec anism of the stitching-heads, the strips of fabric when laid over the conveyor chains at the work receiving end of the machine should referably be secured to the chains at the front edges of the strips with some degree of positiveness and the stri should be held fairly taut, that is to say, t ere preferably should not be any wrinkles or folds present in the length of the strip. In order to effect this, I prefer to secure to the chains at properly spaced intervals, small forwardly extending needle points 44 with which the front edge of the fabric or strip may be manuallyengaged the person placing the strips on the feed chains. 1 The rows of points 44' are preferably spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the strip so that there will be sufficient space between the strips to permit the free operation of the severing mechanism which will later be described."

I also find it desirable to support-the strip into its-normal position intermediate the chains at the work receivlng end of the machine. Saidsupportmay consist of a board or platform 45, the upper surface of which is grooved out to admit and form a run-way for the chains 19. Preferably the front edge of the board 45 is slightly above the edge of the metal. worktable or. flange 17', so that the edge of the fabric will not catch, even though it has a tendency to hang down somewhat between the adjacent chains. It will be iinderstood that as soon as the chains carry the front edge. of the strip within range of the stitchi'ng-head feed mechanisms, control of the feed of the strip is then assumed by the stitching-head feed mechanism.

The severing mechanism comprises a series of electrically operated mechanisms, each of which is aligned with its associated stitching hea'd. As-shownbest in Figs. 2-. and 4, each of said severing mechanisms comprises an upper knife or shear member 46 which cooperates with a lower shear member 47. All of the lower she'ar members :47 are carried by a girder or angle iron member 48, the ends of which are bolted'to the main frames 14 and- 15 respectively. 7

The upper or movable lmife 46 is secured to thelower end of the vertical rod 49, pref erably of brass and at its upper end secured in the plunger 50 of a solenoid having a winding 51. The winding of the solenoid is carried by aftube or sleeve 52 supported between the iron-heads or end-plates 53 and 54 of the solenoid. T return circuit of said solenoid is obtaine through the body of the transversel extending casting 55 by which the 'solenoi s are secured to the" main cross-frame 13.

The upper end of the solenoid plunger 50 is extended upwardly through. the head 53 a. suflicient distance to accommodate the 'coiled compression spring 56 which is interposed between the head 53 and a crown or plate 57 secured, to the u per end of the said plunger 50 so .that'a er the solenoid windin has been momentarily energized the spring 56 will elevate the plunger back as shown in Fig. 2. The windings of the solenoid are all simultaneously energized by means of acommon source of electric current, for example, a battery 58, the circuit 'of which is controlled by and passes through a single pairv of contacts 59 and 60 mounted on a small upwardly extending fixed bracket .61. iSaid contacts 59 and 60 are brought' together momentarily, by means of a rock lever 62 mounted on a pivot '63- also carried by bracket 61. The lower end 64 of said lever 1 1 62 is adapted to extend into thepath of aseries ofpins as at 65, projecting latterly from the side of the outside chain 19, there being one of such pins'65 for each row of. points 44 and said pins being so spaced that the severing plungers will be operated just after the rear edge of the strip has passed under the cutter.

The described details of construction and operation being illustrative of only one phase of my invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the appended claims, said claims beingx construed as broadly as possible, consistently \viththe state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a gang stitching machine of the character described, the combination of a row of vertically operating stitching heads and means for supporting and drivingthe same, a Work table beneath said stitcher heads formed with transverse grooves in its upper surface substantiallymidway between said stitcher heads, a platform at the work receiving end of the machine registering at its inner edge with one edge of said work table and slightly higher than the latter, said platform formed with transverse grooves in its upper surface registering with the grooves of said work table, a group of conveyor chains disposed with their upper laps traveling through said grooves, pins on said 'conve or chains operative to impale and ating said conveyor.

and to propel them unidirectionally, bodily, and successively sidewise into and through a stitching zone, a series of like sewing mecha- Ilisms similarly positioned and alined in spaced relation across the stitching zone and arranged to operate upon said strips at a series of spaced points along the length of the strips during the movement of the latter, each of said sewing mechanisms comprising a needle and a presser foot on one side of the path of movement of the strips, and a feed plate on the other side of said path, means for actuating said parts of the sewing mechanisms in synchronism, and means for actu' JOHN F. GAIL.

1 advance t e work over said platform and v Work table, and means for driving said conveyor chains and stitching heads in a fixed speed ratio to each other.

2. In a gang stitching machine of the character described, the combination of a row of vertically operating stitching heads and means for supporting and drivmg the same, a work table beneath said stitcher heads formed with transverse grooves in its upper surface substantially midway between said stitcher heads, a platform at the work receiving end of the machine registerin at its inner edge with one edge of sai work table and slightly higher than the latter, said platform formed with transverse grooves in its upper surface registering with the grooves of said work table, a group of conveyor chains disposed with their upper laps traveling through said grooves, pins on said conveyor chains operative to impale and advance the work over said platform and work table, a row of thread cutters located beyond said stitcher heads with reference to the direction of travel of the stock, springs normally holding said thread cutters idle, magnets for efi'ecting working I strips along spaced transversely extending lines, the combination of a conveyor adapted to support and hold a series of said strips at spaced points along the length thereof 

